4K TV boon to Taiwan IC suppliers: Morgan Stanley

TAIPEI--Growing demand for 4K televisions — ultra-HD TVs with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels — will likely benefit Taiwanese suppliers of the chips that control LCD flat-panel displays, according to U.S. brokerage Morgan Stanley.

The U.S. brokerage firm said in a research note last week that the market still views 4K TVs as a niche product due to high prices and a lack of content broadcast in ultra-HD.

Despite that, it forecast 4K TV penetration will reach 25 percent in 2015 and 40 percent in 2016 as 4K TV prices would fall to about US$668 on average in 2016 from the current US$999. Morgan Stanley attributed the expected drop to improving yields and competition between TV brands.

The development of 4K content and video streaming will also be driven by more 4K broadcasting from operators in the United States, China, South Korea and Japan, the brokerage said in a June 12 note to clients.

Both AUO and Innolux Corp. (群創光電), also from Taiwan, are forecast to lead global shipments of 4K panels in 2014, accounting for a combined 58 percent share of the global market, according to market intelligence firm NPD DisplaySearch.